


While the Bat's Away

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Collected Bat-Family Stories [23]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman: Gotham Knights (Comics), DCU (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bat Family, Batman RIP, Blends Post-Crisis & New52, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, Jason has a potty mouth, No Romance, No Sex, No Smut, References to Depression, Short Chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24156196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: Everything had fallen apart after Bruce died.That’s what if felt like to his children anyway.Batman was gone and the family he left behind were doing their best, but they weren’t him. They didn’t have his skill at hiding the person behind the mask so completely.They were hurting and it showed.They fell apart. Then they pulled themselves (and each other) back together.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, No Romantic Relationship(s), Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Collected Bat-Family Stories [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/734523
Comments: 35
Kudos: 296





	1. Another Death in the Family

**Author's Note:**

> This story is meant to bridge certain Post-Crisis storylines with some New52 ones for this series. 
> 
> It will specifically reference events from _Batman: A Death in the Family_ , _Red Hood: The Lost Days_ , _Batman: Hush_ , _Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul_ , _Infinite Crisis_ , _Final Crisis_ , _Robin: Wanted_ , _World War III_ #2, _Teen Titans_ vol 3 #43-46 (aka Teen Titans East Parts 1-4), _Last Rites_ , _Batman R.I.P_ , _Battle for the Cowl_ , _Red Robin: The Grail_ , _Red Robin: Collision_ , _Red Robin_ #25, _Batman: Bruce Wayne -The Road Home_ , _Red Hood and the Outlaws_ #8 (New52), and _Batman and Robin Eternal_. However, it should read fine for anyone who's following this series but hasn't read each of those storylines.

Everything had fallen apart after Bruce died. 

That’s what if felt like to his children anyway. 

Gotham had nearly fallen to ruin. It was all but overrun with gangs and Rogues, street-level crimes and grand schemes alike. The police couldn’t keep up. The people were losing hope. Batman was gone and the family he left behind were doing their best, but they weren’t him. They didn’t have his skill at hiding the person behind the mask so completely. 

They were hurting and it showed.

The outsiders they called in as backup...they were good. They had experience. They had skill. But nothing could truly prepare you for Gotham unless you grew up in it. They simply weren’t equipped for how it functioned or what they would face. And they’d never be able to stay long enough to truly understand it. 

Worse than all that, the family had nearly fallen to ruin. They stopped communicating. Stopped working as a unit. Stopped supporting each other outside of their vigilante identities, and in some cases, then as well. 

Dick shut himself off at first, unable to grieve and refusing to feel anything, it seemed. He simply threw himself into the night, into Nightwing, refusing to listen to anyone or truly talk to anyone. He was torn between two choices, both of which he felt obliged to. Gotham demanded someone take up the cowl, and he would never allow anyone else to wear it, but his father had requested that he let Batman die with him. Eventually, the choice was made for him. He couldn’t watch their city burn, couldn’t let his brother destroy what Batman had stood for, couldn’t lose his father _and_ his city.

After his hard won fight with insanity following his murder and the Lazarus Pit, Jason had slipped into madness again. Fresh grief and old hurts together became too much for him to bear and he broke. He returned to violence and death with all the skill of the Grimm Reaper himself. He tried to use the gangs to control the chaos, tried to use the Bat to control the city, tried to use vengeance to control his pain. After working so hard to be accepted into the family again, he attacked each of his brothers. Afterwards, he’d disappeared. 

Tim had given Gotham just about everything he ever had. His father had put actions in motion, intended to strengthen his will, but they’d broken his heart in the process. Not that his heart had been in great shape to begin with. He’d suffered too many loses without enough time to bounce back from any of them before the next one came. Losing Conner, Bart, Stephanie, his father, Bruce, Dick, Jason, Cass, _Robin_ -losing his place in his family- that had been the last straw. The sad thing was, no one could be sure if he’d been cast out or if he’d truly left of his own accord.

Cassandra continued the crusade, but not in Gotham. She couldn’t fight her father’s fight anymore; not in his city, not when he wasn’t there, not after everything that had happened. She felt like all her life, she’d fought for someone else’s cause. She needed to fight for her own. She needed to find herself. She hoped her brothers understood, but she didn’t wait around to make sure. 

Damian was lashing out at everyone and everything. He felt robbed that any others should claim his father as theirs, even in grieving his death. He felt entitled to everything his father had built. He was reckless and egotistical. He was a lost boy whose guiding light had been snuffed out. He needed guidance more than ever, but he was too proud to ask for it and too arrogant to accept it when offered gently. 

Alfred did his best with any of the Wayne children that would let him. He was mourning the loss of his son and he didn’t have it in him to pull the family together by force, but he wasn’t willing to give up on them. He never would. He did his best to ensure any of Bruce’s children who approached him knew they had someone to turn to, somewhere to go. He did his best to make sure they saw they weren’t alone, once they’d healed up enough to stop and _really_ look.


	2. A Brother Returns

Dick was still in Gotham, wearing the cowl and resenting it just a little less each night. He was looking after Damian and had to admit -to himself if no one else- that he didn’t know what he was doing. He hoped that by showing Damian a different way, he might turn him from the dark path he was on. He hoped that by showing him love and compassion, honor and integrity, humility and acceptance, his youngest brother would begin to see things differently. That he’d begin to find those traits within himself. 

He had never wanted to lose Jason or Cassandra. It was just too much, trying to hold his brother together when he was determined to tear everything apart in his madness. It was too hard to try to hold his sister in place when all she wanted to do was run in search for something she didn’t think she could find there. He didn’t blame either of them, but he couldn’t keep them. He wasn’t even sure if he had the right to try anymore. So he let them both go, one quite literally.

He hadn’t meant to sacrifice Tim during the aftermath, but that was exactly what he’d done. He wasn’t their dad. He wasn’t Batman. He’d needed all the help he could get. He’d needed _Tim_. Somewhere along the line, he forgot to say that. 

And when he finally tried to, it didn’t come out right. 

At all.

Maybe he was becoming Batman more than he’d meant to. 

Because he hadn’t listened. He’d just assumed that his way was the right way. That he knew better than anyone else. 

He’d done everything he could to stop Tim, and absolutely nothing to try to listen to him. He hated knowing his little brother was somewhere where he couldn’t reach him. That the boy was all alone and _knew_ he was on his own. He hated thinking that if Tim ran into trouble out there, he wouldn’t call on anyone for help. He hated that his little brother didn’t feel like he had anyone left _to_ call on. 

Dick hated knowing that he was the one who’d created this chasm between them. Most of all, he hated that he wasn’t doing anything about it. If he’d still been Nightwing, if he’d still just been the big brother, he would have already gone looking for Tim. But he was Batman. He was Gotham’s symbol of justice. He was the head of the family. He couldn't just leave. 

All of this meant that Dick was not in the best mood to deal with it when he heard the Red Hood was back in Gotham. He definitely wasn’t in the mood when he found the bodies -of horrible criminals that dealt in human trafficking, ones the law hadn’t been able to touch- with a message drawn in their blood, just for him. 

Hugo. Jason’s favorite gargoyle. 

Dick headed for it. 

Red Hood was waiting on the rooftop. 

Dick didn’t even know how Jason had escaped or reentered Gotham. On _either_ of the two most recent occasions.

His brother had been in prison shortly after they lost their father -listed under John Doe and looking at a ten year sentence at best- when he’d suddenly vanished. A boy had come to see the John Doe the day before he disappeared. They hadn’t talked for very long or done anything to draw the guards’ attention. No one could accurately describe the boy, claiming he’d just been too unobtrusive to take note of, and the name he’d signed in with couldn’t be traced anywhere. The prison claimed that was just because he was a minor with no criminal or notable record. They said that was normal. 

However, there was no security footage of the meeting or of Jason’s mysterious disappearance. _That_ was abnormal. But computers fail, systems have glitches, camera's have a finite lifespan and the city had more than enough crime to spread their budget around thin. No one questioned it.

Except Dick. 

All of this made him suspect Tim had been involved. However, he hadn’t asked about it before. And now it was too late. 

After the strange escape, Jason had reappeared with his very own Batcave and started taking criminals out as Batman. Tim had been the first to figure it out and he’d acted when Dick refused to. After seriously injuring Damian and very nearly killing Tim, Jason had plunged into Gotham River during a fight with Dick. They hadn’t found him afterwards and Dick hadn’t heard from him until that night. Both he and Tim had been certain Jason was still alive, but Dick had been a little too preoccupied to try to track him down. He had no idea if Tim had or not.

Another pair of marks against his big brother skills lately. As much progress as he was making as Batman, Dick still felt like he was failing. He felt like he was letting his family down. 

Like he was letting his father down. 

He hated that feeling more than anything.

It made him feel marginally better that Jason apparently wanted to talk this time. 

“The suit doesn’t quite fit you.” Jason crossed his arms and tilted his head toward the shadows behind his older brother. “Tell the homunculus to go home. This is gonna be a grown up talk.”

Dick rolled his eyes beneath the cowl. He’d told Damian to stay at the Bat-Bunker with Alfred. He turned. “Robin, go back to base.”

Damian stepped out of the shadows, head held high and mouth set in a snarl already. Dick knew it was going to be one of those nights where he wished he’d stuck to his guns on no one wearing the cowl. He had the feeling he wouldn’t have to fight his youngest brother half as hard if he weren’t wearing it. 

“I go where I choose. Just because you feel some sentimentality for this riffraff, doesn’t meant he’s anything special. Why shouldn’t I just take him down like I would any other criminal we encounter?”

Dick knew Jason’s death hadn’t been because he’d slouched on his training as Robin. He knew his brother had further training between his death and return to Gotham. He didn’t know exactly what his brother was capable of, but he knew he was good. _Too good_ for Damian to take lightly. And possibly too unstable to hold back from beating the boy within an inch of his life. 

After all, he could have killed him the last time. It was possible the only reason he hadn’t was because he chose to use him to distract Dick so he could escape the encounter. Whatever his reason, Dick had no doubt that Jason had intentionally left Damian alive. Depending on whether his mind had healed or deteriorated more since they last saw one another, he might decide otherwise if Damian challenged him tonight. 

Dick didn’t want to have to fight any of his brothers again. Not after he attacked Tim and drove him away. Not after what happened with Jason the last time. Not when Damian was walking a tightrope between vigilante and villain. 

“Robin, do you remember what I warned you about? About your superiorist attitude? Sometimes the people you encounter out here are going to be just as good as or even _better_ than you. _This_ is one of those times.”

Damian scoffed. “I highly doubt that.” 

“He nearly killed the last Robin. He nearly killed _you_.” Dick needed to stress the danger to his youngest sibling. “This isn’t a challenge. Its not a game. _Stand down_. ”

“Nearly killing the usurper means nothing. I’m superior to him in combat. And this thug caught me when I was distracted last time.” Damian looked at Jason. “I was trained by the League of Assassins. My grandfather-”

“-Is Ra’s Al Ghul. Mother is Talia Al Ghul. Father is Batman. Blah-blah-blah. Yeah, I know.” Jason didn’t sound impressed. 

He sounded confident, mocking, and threatening all at once as he continued. “I also know that your mommy made sure you were protected at all times, so you haven’t had nearly as much real experience as you’d have others believe. In fact, a lot of your supposed ‘skill’ is the theoretical result of a eugenics experiment put into place by your nut-job grandfather. I also know you rely way too much on the fact that you don’t refrain from killing and others don’t expect that of a child. I know you rely on your heritage to cowl people into submission because you lack patience and class. I know your ego is a huge liability.

“That, along with the superiorist attitude just mentioned, is why dear old dad got stuck with you to begin with. Your mom realized she’d screwed up and she needed him to fix you.” Jason put his hands on his hips and appeared to be looking down at the boy through his mask. “I know a lot about you. Your mother arranged for some of my training. We got kinda close.”

Damian had clearly been growing more and more furious as Jason spoke. For a moment, he looked too enraged to speak. Then, he blew. 

“You dare speak to me like that?!” 

He didn’t seem to realize that throwing a tantrum was only proving Jason right. 

Moreover, Dick knew that tone. He knew it meant his youngest sibling was about to snap. “Robin. Stand down.” 

“You dare speak of my mother?!” 

Dick sighed as Damian continued as if he hadn’t spoken. He was sure he’d been a much better listener at Damian’s age. 

“You dare address my father that way?!”

He had to try to stop this fight before it began. He couldn't lose another member of his family; to death, or conflict, or ostracizing. He just couldn’t. “Robin. Stop. _Now_.”

Jason still didn’t sound the least bit impressed or intimidated. “I’ll speak of your mother and our asshole of a dad as much as I want, thanks. Unlike you, I _earned_ my place in this family _and_ this city.” 

Dick wasn’t going to get anywhere with Damian after that. He turned to his other little brother. “ _Jason_. Please, stop it. He’s just a kid. He doesn’t-”

“I am not _just_ anything!” Damian shot Dick a glare before snarling at Jason once more. “Enough of this! I’m going to do what my father should have done as soon as you returned! I’m going to put you down!”

Damian launched himself at Jason, sword drawn, immediately. 

“No!” Dick moved to get between them but he’d been focused on Damian and Jason tossed him aside with a well-executed kick. 

Jason then drew a dagger in time to catch and redirect Damian’s sword. He had Damian disarmed and disorientated with three swift moves. Then he caught the boy by the throat before he could jump back to put some space between himself and his large, powerful opponent. He immediately pinned Damian against the ground. 

His helmet was nearly touching Damian’s face when he addressed him. “I don’t have time for your shit, kid. I need to talk to Wannabe-Batman here about things that are more important than your bruised ego. Now scram before I decide to stop playing fair.” With that, Jason grabbed Damian by his tunic and tossed him toward Dick, who caught him instantly. “Get rid of him or I will.”

Damian was ready to launch himself again, even though he was clearly going to lose that fight. Dick held on. “Robin, stop!” He spun them around so he was between his brothers and put his face directly in front of Damian’s. “ _Think_ before you act!” 

He needed to stop this. He needed to find out what had brought Jason there. He needed to get Damian to back off before he got himself seriously injured. Or worse.

At least Jason appeared to be rational and not in any rush to cause harm. Physically, anyway. That was something. It meant he might be okay. It meant Dick might be getting one of his siblings back at least.

Provided he and Damian didn’t continue fighting until Jason lost his patience.

Dick held onto Damian’s shoulders and dropped his voice so Jason couldn’t hear. “I need to find out why he’s here. What he’s doing. I understand how you feel, but this is bigger than him giving Batman the middle finger. I need you to go back to the Bat-Bunker and fill in Alfred. Then I need you to wait there in case I need backup.”

Sometimes, Dick wondered if he and his siblings were the sole reason their father’s patience often seemed strained. Damian definitely tested his often enough. “So, please, _get back to the damn Bunker_.”

He could see the conflict in his youngest sibling. It gave him a small sense of accomplishment because not long ago, there would have been no conflict. Damian’s bruised ego would have outweighed any plea Dick could offer. Even the suggestion that going to the Bunker was a favor, because he might be needed, wouldn't have been enough to soothe his wounded pride. 

It turned out it was enough now. 

Damian sniffed disdainfully. “Very well. I will be waiting on your signal. If this scum attacks you, use it. I’ll deal with him then.”

With that, Damian headed back toward the Bunker. Dick held a up finger to tell Jason to wait a second and alerted Alfred that his latest ward should be returning soon. They both hoped the boy did as he was asked for once. It had been pretty hit and miss for a while. 

Dick turned back to Jason once Alfred was monitoring Damian. “You deliberately pressed his buttons so he’d attack you.”

“I needed to get rid of him. Has diplomacy ever worked with him _at all_?” Jason offered the brief explanation and then cut to the chase. “Where’s Robin? Not that little shit. The _real_ Robin?”

The fact that _Jason_ was calling Tim the _real_ Robin wasn’t lost on Dick. However, the subject was still too raw to take any pleasure in the statement. 

Dick took a breath. He wished he could run his hand through his hair or rub his neck, just to have something to do with his hands, but he was stuck in a stifling cowl. “We kind of had a falling out. He sends me information when I need it.” Which was far more often than it should be. Even with the divide between them, Dick knew he was leaning on Tim too much. 

It wasn’t a surprise. He’d known he wouldn’t be able to do this without help from the beginning. Still, he wished Tim would accept some form of support to balance it out a little. He wished his little brother would come home. 

He wished they _all_ would just come home. He needed them. He missed them. He loved them. 

Wishing wasn’t going to change anything. And Dick had too much going on to try to corral his siblings that showed no interest in being enclosed. 

All he could do was try to explain to Jason and hope they left this meeting on better footing than they’d been before. “Otherwise…he’s not talking to me. He won’t take any personal calls from me or anyone else I’ve checked with. No one knows how to locate him. He’s made sure we can’t follow him. He’s going by Red Robin now.” 

Jason nodded. He sounded thoughtful. “So it _is_ him.” 

Apparently, he’d heard of Red Robin, suspected it was Tim, and needed his identity confirmed. It made Dick feel worse, knowing that Jason wouldn’t just come to him and ask directly. They’d been doing so well, before… _everything_. They’d been well on the path to becoming a family again. A _real_ family. 

Now, he had one brother who was all but ghosting him, a sister he couldn’t even keep track of, another brother who he had to stop from insulting or murdering nearly everyone he encountered, and it seemed, a brother who would rather start a fight than just call him up to talk. 

Jason shook his head and then appeared to be looking at his big brother. It was hard to tell with the helmet. 

Dick wished he’d take it off. He wished he could take the cowl off. He wished they could have this talk as Dick and Jason rather than Batman and the Red Hood. 

He reminded himself again that wishing wasn’t going to do him any good. 

“What the fuck happened?” Jason made a cutting motion with a hand. “You know what? That can wait. What’s he up against?”

He sounded equally annoyed, frustrated, and concerned. “And why is he taking it on by himself?” 

At least Jason was sounding more like himself and less like a homicidal psychopath. It was something, at least. Dick would take it. He’d take whenever he could get these days if it meant getting back even a sliver of the happiness he’d felt with his family before. 

But Jason’s words also brought up the thing Dick was most ashamed of at the moment. 

It figured. 

Dick crossed his arms and shook his head. He could answer the first part of that question, but the second eluded him as well. “I tried to help him…tried to _stop_ him. Like I said, we aren't on the best terms right now. Actually, everyone kind of…” He sighed and shook his head again, looking away. 

He wasn’t sure how to end that statement. Everyone kind of failed to notice Tim losing his grip on reality until it was too late to catch him when he lost it completely. Everyone kind of stopped paying attention to him. Everyone kind of failed to help him. Everyone kind of forgot that under the mask and behind the computer, was a kid who just lost another parent. Everyone kind of expected too much from a depressed, grieving teenager.

Everyone, including Dick. 

“We didn’t know how to handle it.” Dick looked at Jason. He figured the best way was to just tell him what they were dealing with. It wasn’t as if Jason was in any place to judge Tim for losing it. “He thinks B is alive.”

Jason was silent for a moment. Dick wasn’t sure what that meant. He couldn't read Jason’s body language and he couldn't see his face. So he waited, letting his brother process that at his own pace.

Finally Jason threw up both arms in a questioning gesture. He sounded frustrated and impatient. “ _And_?”

Dick blinked. “And _what_?” He didn’t think there was much to add to that. Of course, he reasoned that he’d actually been there while Jason had been away…recovering, apparently. He probably wanted to know what had been done to try to help Tim thus far. 

“I tried to talk some sense into him. Spoiler- well that just went to hell in a hand-basket. She should’ve known better than to even try right after...never mind. That’ll take too long to get into and I don’t even know all the details. Wonder Girl tried to get through to him too, and I thought that would work, but he just…took off when he couldn’t convince her. None of us did any good.”

There was far more truth in that last statement than Dick cared to admit. It wasn’t the time to address anyone’s failures or regrets anyway. Jason deserved to know what had gone wrong with Tim more than most. Before losing Bruce, the two of them had grown close. They’d truly been brothers. In fact, if Dick had known how to contact Jason, he would have been the first person he checked in with after he realized Tim wasn’t coming back.

But Jason clearly didn’t know where Tim was or what he was doing either. Dick barely understood what had happened himself. All he could do was fill their brother in as best he could. “He’s convinced. He’s pretty much obsessed with proving that B isn’t dead somehow.”

“And you’re certain he’s wrong because…?” Jason held his hands up again and shook his head, waiting for an answer. 

Dick frowned. Jason sounded as if he were back to where he’d been before Bruce was killed. That meant he should have the mental wherewithal to remember something as significant as their father’s death. Or the city-wide blow out that followed. The _family_ -wide fallout that followed. He shouldn’t need to be told why Tim was clearly wrong.

“Because we _know_ he is. We saw Dad’s…remains. We buried him. He’s- He’s _gone_ , Jay.” It was still so hard to say. 

Dick was glad for the cowl for once. It did a good job of hiding the fact that he could barely contain his tears when he spoke of their father’s death. 

Again, Jason waited, as if giving Dick a moment to figure something out. Finally, he gestured over himself. “And that means something now because _why_?”

Dick got it then. Jason wasn’t crazy and his memory was fine. He knew Bruce had died. His perception of death had just been turned askew by his own experience with it. 

He felt some relief, knowing his brother was at least mostly sane. He also felt bad for Jason, that he didn’t have any certainty in his life, even when it came to death. 

“That was different.” Dick would love nothing more than for Bruce to return as Jason had, even if it meant he was a little (or a great deal) crazy for a while. He knew that wasn’t possible. “B wouldn’t stay away if he was alive. He wouldn’t do that to us _or_ to Gotham. Besides, he isn’t Superman and there haven’t been any universe altering cataclysms that might have brought him back.” 

They weren’t going to get anywhere by talking about Bruce’s death and dreaming about ways he might return. They needed to focus on the family member they might actually be able to get back one day, if he managed to recover from whatever madness had taken him. 

“That’s not what Red Robin is saying anyway. He’s saying we were wrong from the start. That B never truly died.” Dick hadn’t known what to do with that. 

He still didn’t.

He knew what it was like to lose loved ones, but not so many so close together. He couldn’t imagine what Tim must be feeling. He knew there would never be a good time to lose Bruce or to have Robin taken away, but the timing couldn't have been worse for Tim. Dick supposed that had been why the boy just couldn't accept it. He only hoped that some day, Tim could move past his grief enough to regain his mind. That when that day came, he’d find his way home.

“He even prevented us from legally declaring him dead.” That had turned out to be wise, in the long run. It figured that even when mad with grief, his little brother was still brilliant. Dick would have smiled, if the situation had only been slightly less awful.

Jason, apparently, had another interpretation of the events that led to Tim’s departure. True to form, he wasn’t particularly gentle in how he shared it. 

“So you’re saying you never asked one of the most rational and intelligent people we know exactly _how_ he came up with this theory? You just shut him up, tried to shut him down, and then called him insane when he didn’t yield? As if any of us Robins have ever been short on willpower…or as if Red has ever _not_ followed through to the end. Once he had reason to doubt -and there’s no way he didn’t have a reason- of _course_ he had to do his thing. He never acts without a fair degree of certainty, so he had to find proof either way.

“And now you actually feel sorry for yourself because he’s not talking to you?” Jason sounded like he thought all of that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. He shook his head and crossed his arms. “Man, that cowl must really fuck people up. Thanks for stopping me from wearing it. Turns out you did me a solid.”

Dick didn’t need to hear about how much he’d screwed up already. He was well aware that he’d handled Tim wrong at pretty much every turn. But Tim would be okay. He always was. Damian and Gotham, however, Dick wasn’t so sure about. Not without a lot of help anyway. 

Not without Batman.

And since their father was gone, that meant Dick had to fill in as best he could.

He began turning away. “I don’t have time for this-”

“Is that what you told Red Robin?” Jason gave a shrug when Dick stopped and looked at him, his jaw clenched. “Is that why he’s gone? Because we both know it would have taken a lot more than a lack of support and an angry little shit to drive _him_ out of Gotham like this.” 

Dick was about ready to take a swing at his brother. “That’s not fair. _You_ weren’t even here. And you aren’t out there with him either. You haven’t been there for _any_ of us during all this. So what do you want?”

“I wanted to find out what was going on. Now I know.” Jason shook his head and took a step closer. “Just because you’re wearing his suit, doesn’t mean you have to turn yourself into him. It doesn’t mean you have to replicate his flaws. You can do _a lot_ better than that.”

“I’m doing the best I can.” Dick wasn’t going to stand and listen to this. He had enough doubts in his own mind. He was still grieving the loss of his father. He was still trying to figure out how to save his youngest brother from himself. “What are _you_ doing?”

“I’m going after Red Robin.” Jason answered simply, then turned and started walking away. He spoke over his shoulder as he did so. “You stay here and deal with the brat. That’s more your speed than mine anyway.”

Dick stopped him. “Wait. What do you mean, you’re going after him?” 

Jason had been past the whole ‘trying to murder Tim’ thing for a while. In fact, they’d been making decent progress in bringing him back into the family before their father died and Jason snapped, trying to clean up Gotham _his way_ again. That had apparently included asking Tim to be his Robin and then attempting to murder him again when he refused. Their little brother would wear the scars from that attack for the rest of his life.

Dick wanted to believe they were good again. That Jason was beyond wanting to hurt their little brother and that Tim would be willing to move past it once more. He’d been good about that the last time, but a lot had changed since then. If Jason did extend an olive branch and Tim refused it, then Dick didn’t know what would happen. Neither one of them were in a good place at present. He was fairly certain Tim would never do any serious harm to Jason, but he wasn’t nearly as certain that the reverse was true. 

Dick already had to watch that Damian didn’t try to kill Tim whenever he returned. _If_ he returned. He didn’t want to have to worry about another brother trying to murder him. One that might follow him to wherever he’d gone off to. 

Assuming he was still alive and they hadn’t been getting information from an especially impressive algorithm he’d designed this whole time. Tim would do something like that. 

Dick didn’t want to think about that. 

Jason, however, didn’t seem to think his previous statement was nearly as complicated as Dick did.

“I mean, I’m going to get off this roof. Get on my bike. And. Go. After. Him.” 

That wasn’t especially helpful, as far as clarification went. Even with the slight pantomime that accompanied the heavily emphasized statement. 

Dick crossed his arms. “What are you going to do when you find him?”

It was muffled by the helmet, but Dick was pretty sure Jason scoffed at him. “I’m gonna do what you should have done _before_ you tried stopping him. I’m gonna ask him why he thinks B is still alive. From there, depending on what he’s got, I’m either gonna tell him I’m around if he needs anyone, _or_ I’ll go help him find B from there.”

Jason said it like it was all so simple. Like he had no doubts about Tim’s mental or emotional state. Like helping their little brother was going to be such a simple matter. 

The thing was, Dick knew it _could_ be. 

For a while there, Dick had been the one Tim called when everything started to feel too big for him. He knew it didn’t take much to help Tim push the darkness away. Mostly, you just had to listen and not belittle his troubles or dismiss his feelings. Dick hadn’t been the greatest at that at the start -he’d actually kind of sucked at it- but he’d gotten there easily enough. He’d been a good big brother. Better than he’d ever been with Jason.

Then somewhere along the line, he’d evidently lost that ability again. At least, he’d lost it when it counted. He was dong pretty well with Damian now, he was sure. In his pain, he’d simply slipped. It had just been the worst possible time for such a slip. 

Which made him think; maybe Jason was right. 

Dick had already accepted that he needed help. A _lot_ of help. If him and Alfred focused on Damian for now… If Jason could be there for Tim… If Tim reached out to Cassandra like he’d done before… Maybe the family would be okay. 

Maybe losing their father wouldn’t mean losing everything. Losing every _one_.

For possibly the first time since his father died, Dick felt that sense of hope he’d always managed to hold onto in the past. He finally felt it shine through his grief.

He nodded. Then he held out a hand. “Good luck.”

Jason hesitated a second, then grasped his big brother’s hand. “I think you’re gonna need it more than I am.”

Dick pulled him in for a quick hug. “We both will.”

Jason patted his arm. He sounded lighter when he spoke next, as if he were smiling under the helmet. “There’s the brother I remember. You do _you_. Do that, and there’s no way you aren’t gonna win over that little shit. _No one_ can resist you for long.”

They parted ways, each with their own job to bring the family back together. 

Dick jumped into a free fall before shooting off his grapple. It felt good. It felt like flying. It felt like _him_.

He called Damian over the comm. Their youngest brother should have recovered from the disorientating blow Jason struck already. He’d check before they did anything too exciting. “Robin, meet me on top of Kane Plaza.” 

He smiled for what felt like the first time in weeks. “Its time to have a little fun.”


	3. Hope Returns

When Tim had given Jason the means to escape prison, Jason hadn’t understood the full gravity of what Tim was doing. Not until he found that Tim had also known where Jason was going to go and had somehow left him clothes, supplies, and the means to contact him.

Of course, Tim had also left him with the comment that he should go out here and do better. Instead, Jason had done worse. He’d _meant_ to help, but his mind had been in a bad place. He’d been surprised to hear from Tim again, especially since he hadn’t made any attempt to contact the family at that point. Tim had told him things were changing in Gotham, had told him he might not be around. His little brother had hung up on him with the reminder that he could still call on him when needed.

Jason didn’t have Tim’s skill with computers or his ingenuity when it came to gathering and quantifying information. Even with Kori and Roy being there to back him whenever he needed, his little brother had been invaluable as he struck out without the family or Talia there to support him. Jason rarely tried to talk to Tim about something non-work related while they exchanged information. He hadn’t received much information beyond the current state of Gotham. It was clear that Tim wasn’t doing as well as he wanted his big brother to believe, but he was vague on the personal details. Jason didn’t push for anything more.

They still hadn’t seen each other since the last time he’d tried to kill his little brother. Jason intended to wait until he was ready to be a big brother again before he suggested meeting up. For his part, Tim seemed fine with the arrangement. He never suggested meeting in person either.

Everything had seemed to be going okay until Tim completely disappeared. 

News showing Batman’s heroic return proved that it was no longer Tim wearing the R, as most everyone quickly recognized. It did a lot for the rumors that Batman had been killed. It made the Rogues, criminals, and cops who’d suspected and spread such rumors consider an alternative. That maybe it had been Robin who’d been lost or in need of a replacement and the Batman had disappeared to get one. Jason knew better however. He knew Batman was gone and that there was no way Tim would have just given up the R. 

Jason also started hearing underground rumors about a new hero. One that didn’t really exist to the public. One that stayed in the shadows, but had swiftly developed quite the reputation among the supervillain and superhero communities: Red Robin. 

It had to be Tim. But Jason had to be sure before approaching, so he headed to Gotham first. He hadn’t talked to Dick long, not after the disaster that had been their last meeting before it. Still, he’d learned plenty. Mainly, that Tim was on his own and Dick just didn’t have what it would take to bring the family back together again. 

Not on his own. 

So when Jason called Tim for information again, he tried to remind Tim that he knew what it felt like to be lost or cast out or mistrusted. He wanted Tim to understand that he still had someone he could talk to when he needed it. He was hoping his little brother would want to meet up rather than just pass along information and go about their separate business as usual. He was hoping they could help each other beyond the usual exchange of data. 

Sooner than he’d expected, he’d gotten his wish. 

Tim told him where to meet him; on the terrace of a nice hotel room where he was hiding in plain sight. He’d given Jason good information, as expected. He’d also invited him to stay for breakfast. They talked a little, mostly about trivial things, just feeling each other out. Until Tim worked up the nerve to ask if Jason minded him using the Red Robin name and uniform. 

“At first, it was kind of necessity. I’d been injured pretty bad; I needed a more secure suit and I needed it quickly. I’d already retrieved your Red Robin suit from Ulysses. It was supposed to be a one time thing, but then Dick decided to give Robin to Damian after he became Batman and… I didn’t know what else to do. I can come up with something else, if you-”

“You can have it. I was annoyed when that asshat used it without permission, yeah, but you’re different. Him using it was an insult. You using it is an honor.” Jason shrugged. He didn’t want to get too touchy-feely about the whole thing. 

The man who had given him the suit -the Bruce from another reality- had really helped him heal back when he could have gone either way. 

Tim had helped him heal, too. Jason figured it was time to return the favor. “Besides, I think that Bruce would have wanted it to stay in the family.” He hesitated briefly before adding to that, confidently. “And I think our Bruce would have wanted _you_ to stay in the family.”

Tim sighed. He looked tired. Too tired for a fifteen-year-old. “I’m not going back home.”

Sometimes ‘home’ was a very loaded concept. As much as you loved it, as much as it called to you, it hurt you. Jason knew that feeling all too well. “I’m not asking you to. I never will. I’m asking you to keep in touch. 

“Just remember you aren’t completely alone out here.” Jason looked him over. “I didn’t even know you _were_ out here. Or why. I had to go ask Dick…almost put Damian in a fucking coma…” 

He shook his head. He really hoped Damian would be able to knock that chip off his shoulder and accept some help before he grew into the kind of asshole they usually put away or put down, depending on which member of the family found them. Jason knew he wasn’t the guy to help him with that. Not yet. 

Tim though, he _could_ help. 

At present, his little brother looked tense. “What did Dick say?” 

Jason could see that Tim’s guard was up. It hadn’t been before. He was fine having breakfast with the big brother who’d assaulted him multiple times and tried to kill him on their last face-to-face, but discussing his other big brother at the moment made him feel the need to be guarded. However Dick had reacted to him claiming Bruce was alive, it had taken its toll. He expected to be shut down, called crazy, or disregarded. He expected to have to defend himself.

Jason didn’t like that. “He said you guys aren’t speaking right now. He said you think Bruce is alive.” He kept his expression and tone neutral, trying to get the point across that he wasn’t going to judge his little brother offhand. “I know you wouldn't say that without a good reason. And I know better than anyone not to assume he can’t be alive, especially when all we had to bury was bones.”

He leaned back, getting settled in his chair. He kept his body language calm. He made sure Tim could see that he was going to listen. “So I want to know what you have.”

What Tim had turned out to be somewhat circumstantial by the boy’s usual standards, but still very compelling. A cave symbol - _his_ symbol- that was thousands of years old. A letter, written in _his_ hand, that was hundreds of years old. A portrait, decades older than should be possible, showing an all too familiar face. A dozen small pieces that added up to something larger. What Tim had didn’t make any sense…unless Batman had somehow existed from the dawn of mankind without anyone being the aware of it. 

Or something else. Something Tim knew sounded crazy but really didn’t. Not in light of the evidence he’d painstakingly acquired to back it up. 

Forced time-loop attacks were a little out there, both boys could admit. However, considering Jason had returned from the dead and been given his memories back by a Lazarus Pit before undergoing training with the All-Caste… Considering he had tattoos that glowed when he meditated or summoned mystical weapons fueled by his very soul… Considering he’d received the Red Robin suit from a Batman that existed in one of many alternate realities he’d visited… He thought it wasn’t nearly far-fetched enough to doubt someone of Tim’s standing over it. 

Plus, _Darksied_.

Jason had expected Tim to have something worthwhile. He hadn’t expected to feel so hopeful when he heard it. He hadn’t expected to want Bruce back as much as he did. He hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted his family until it was torn away from him again. 

He couldn’t believe no one else was acting on what Tim had shown him. “Who else knows?”

“Just us, for now.” Tim thought for a moment. “Well, probably Ra’s Al Ghul. I haven’t really been in touch with anyone else. I’m going to pass along some information to the Justice League, once I have another piece of evidence I’ve located. Hopefully, they’ll listen and check it out.”

Tim’s voice was firm, absolute. “Either way, I’m bringing him back.”

Jason spoke confidently. “I don’t doubt it.” 

He didn’t. There were five things Jason had learned since he started getting along with his little bother. The kid was driven by compassion; the kid always knew his shit; the kid always had a plan; the kid believed in second chances; the kid held enough willpower in his little body for half a dozen heroes. If any supposedly ordinary human being was going to rescue Bruce from a time-loop-trap set by Darkseid, Jason’s money was on Tim.

That still left one part of his little brother’s comment in need of explaining. One part that was actually very concerning. “But where the fuck does Ra’s Al Ghul fit into this?”

“He wanted to find out if Bruce was alive too.” Tim looked guilty, unhappy. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Jason warily. “We, uh, kind of joined forces for a little while, to find the truth.”

“You worked with Ra’s Al Ghul?” Jason didn’t trust Al Ghul further than he could throw him. Not after what he’d seen. He _definitely_ didn’t trust Ra’s Al Ghul anywhere near Tim. “How did _that_ go?”

“Well, we got the first solid proof that Bruce was alive...so that was good. Then things kind of went South.” Tim looked uncertain. That was always a bad sign. “And he no longer wants to make Bruce his heir or successor or whatever, so that’s something. Unfortunately, he wants me instead.” 

Tim sighed and looked away, over the city. “He’s gotten kinda obsessed about it.”

That was going to be a problem. “Yeah, he does that.” Jason sighed. It figured he’d decided to give the big brother thing another try and _this_ was one of the first problems his little brother dropped on him. “Fuck. If he comes after you-”

“He already has.” That, along with his solo quest to prove Bruce was alive and figure out how to get him back, explained why Tim looked so worn down. Still, he sounded calm and determined. “I’ve handled it all so far -well, my friends and I did. But you know Ra’s, there’s no way there isn’t going to be another attempt.”

It was too much. Too much for one person, especially a kid. Jason knew they tended to take on too much as a habit in his family, but this was excessive even by their standards. Add to that the fact that Tim was now the outsider in a family full of outsiders, and Jason didn’t see this ending well. They’d already lost Bruce. They couldn't lose Tim too. 

_He_ couldn’t lose him. 

He looked at Tim levelly. “What can I do?”

Tim looked stunned for a moment. Then, he offered his big brother a small smile. “Are you free after you take care of the stolen goods you’re tracking?”

Jason smiled back. “Yeah. Just keep in touch and I’ll find you afterwards.” 

He’d finish breakfast first. He’d talk with Tim a little more, make sure his little brother understood that he wasn’t alone. Make sure the kid really was more-or-less okay to be left alone for that long. Then he’d take care of his own business. After that, he’d be back. 

“So how have you handled Ra’s so far?”

Tim sighed. “I kinda took out his whole communication network and infrastructure.”

Jason stopped with a forkful of waffle two inches from his mouth. “Seriously?” 

When they had more time, he was definitely going to ask about how his little brother had managed that. The only way he could think of would be if Tim somehow got inside the League of Shadows’ system. Of course, breaking into complicated mainframes was Tim’s bread and butter…and he had said he and Ra’s temporarily joined forces. 

“Yeah, that really made him mad.” Tim looked down at his plate and rolled a piece of melon with his fork. “So he sent ninjas after every member of the family and every family ally he could. And he got to Thomas Elliot, so he could use all of Bruce’s money and Wayne Enterprises to do whatever he wanted. I sent everyone left from Young Justice to handle the ninjas while I distracted Ra’s.”

“You _distracted_ Ra’s?” Jason didn’t like the sound of that. Tim was damn good, but his skill set leaned more toward the intellectual side than the physical side. He wasn’t a match for Ra’s Al Ghul in a fight. Few were. “For how long?”

“Just until everyone was safe and Lucius could make sure Ra’s couldn’t touch Wayne Enterprises. After that, the fight didn’t last long.” As he admitted that, Tim looked far too okay with he fact that he was likely nearly murdered. Again. “It got a little ugly, but I’m fine.”

Tim gave a small head tilt and looked like that wasn’t quite right. “Well, more or less.” His expression calmed as he got to what he clearly saw as the pertinent part. “Most importantly, Ra’s didn’t get to destroy everyone and everything important to Bruce just to throw a hissy-fit over not getting his former partner.”

Jason swallowed the mouthful of waffle. He shook his head. “Okay, when all this latest crazy is settled, we’re going to have to work on your priorities.” He sighed and looked Tim over. Now he wasn’t so sure of the kid was just drained or if he was actually hurt. “Are you sure you’re healed up enough for whatever you’ve got going on now?”

Tim looked grateful that he was asked that. He offered Jason a small, sincere smile. Happy that someone showed the slightest amount of consideration toward him. When this was all over, Jason was going to have to keep an eye on Tim’s growing inferiority complex. In the meantime, he needed to listen to him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He didn’t look ‘fine’ but he sounded considerably better than he had at the start of the conversation. He also looked quite certain in what he said next. “I’ve got some good protection for what’s coming up.”

That last comment made Jason concerned. He needed to make sure the kid wasn’t about to get himself killed before they made any other plans. He arched a brow. “How good?”

“Cass.” Tim shrugged as if to say ‘see?’.

Jason nodded. That was _very_ good. Not only was their sister the best fighter in the family, but that meant that Tim had continued to touch base with her even after he’d fallen off Dick’s radar. Tim wasn’t isolating himself completely, as Jason and Dick had both feared. Their little brother was just insulating himself from those who would hurt him _and_ interfere with what he needed to do.

“Just tell me where I can find you once I’ve got crazy Su taken care of.” He looked at his little brother. “I’ll be there.”

Tim looked him over curiously. Then, some of the tension in his frame loosened, just a little. He believed him. “Okay.” He nodded. That small sincere smile returned. “Thanks, Jay.”

He smiled back at his little brother. He was still worried about him, but not as much as when he’d arrived. He was also glad Tim had given him another chance. He wasn’t going to throw this one away. It was nice to be part of the family again. Even if it meant forming their own little black sheep side of the table. 

“Don’t mention it.”


	4. A Message Received

Alfred awoke at the gentle chime of the sensors being tripped in the Cave. He’d set them up after he prepared the Cave to be vacated indefinitely. He got up, quickly slipped on his robe, and grabbed the flashlight and rifle he kept under his bed. Then he steadily headed down into the Cave. 

There were no further readings from the sensors. No further movement. A bat could have simply ventured further into the Cave than usual, now that there wasn’t any regular lights, sound, or movement. But with the state of things in Gotham, Alfred wasn’t taking any chances. 

He saw no signs of wrongdoing. Everything was still sealed. Everything was either packed away or covered up. It was strange and painful to see it that way. To know what it meant that the Cave was empty. 

To be reminded that his son was gone. 

Taking one last, long, painful look around, Alfred noticed that something was out of place. Nothing was missing, but there was a small object lying on the spot where the display holding Jason’s memorial suit used to lay. Approaching with caution, Alfred saw that it was a first edition copy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s _A Study In Scarlet_. 

Many thoughts passed through Alfred’s mind at the sight of the book. Many feelings passed through his soul. 

He and Bruce had begun collecting first editions when Bruce was only a child. He would never again be able to see one without thinking of his son. One day, he knew it would bring him happiness instead of sorrow. It would bring many wonderful memories instead of the pain of loss. At present, it simply hurt. 

But Alfred knew better than to ignore something just because it was painful. 

Jason had used his knowledge of the collection to communicate to with Alfred in the past. To announce his return to Gotham. To try to soothe the pain he knew he was about to cause the man he cared for. The book’s presence could have been speaking to the young man.

However, Sherlock Holmes spoke to Tim. The boy loved solving a good mystery and he adored the entire series. He’d read all the books countless times; joined fan clubs and pored over newsletters; watched every televised film and serial available to him. They’d never discussed Alfred and Bruce’s collection, but Alfred doubted the boy had failed to notice it. 

Alfred used the barrel of the rifle to carefully open the book. He knew neither of the boys the book reminded him of would ever do him harm. However, he couldn’t be certain that one of them had left it. Nothing happened when he opened the front cover. No alarms, traps, or gasses. 

He could see that there was a small slip of paper inside. Perhaps a receipt. But there was something written on it by hand. Opening it, he felt another wave of emotion and thought strike him. He recognized Jason’s handwriting. 

_He was right. Take care of the others. We’ll take care of the rest._

Only three sentences. To Alfred, they spoke volumes. 

The book was meant to make him think of Timothy, and of Jason, and of Bruce, so that he would understand. 

Timothy had been right. His son wasn’t dead. His missing grandchildren were going to come home, eventually. 

They were going to bring his son home.

Alfred had never felt such joy in his life. 

He held the book against his chest and took deep breaths until it no longer felt like his heart was going to bust through it. He blinked the tears from his eyes. He looked around the Cave. 

His son was coming home. His grandchildren were coming home. His family would need him. They would need the Manor and the Cave to be back in order. 

There was a lot to do. But Alfred had time. He had patience. 

_**Take care of the others.** _

He would do just that. He turned to head back into the Manor. 

He would add the book to their collection. He would open the curtains. He would remove the sheets from Bruce’s desk and furniture. He would turn the Manor back into a home. He would continue to teach Damian. He would continue to support Dick. 

He would wait until the others contacted him again, but not idly.

He would be ready for their return.


	5. A Sister Returns

Cassandra still wasn’t entirely certain what had been going on. She’d been busy with her own grief, her own Rogues, and her own search for self discovery. 

So far, she knew the world’s deadliest assassins had been targeting her little brother. She knew Ra’s Al Ghul was also targeting him. She wasn’t sure how the two were related, if at all. She also wasn’t sure where the naked woman attempting to assault Tim came into it all, but she was certainly going to take care of that with extreme prejudice. She was even more glad than she'd originally been that her little brother called upon her for help before setting off whatever trap he’d sprung. 

Before that, she hadn’t been sure that he would. 

When he’d given her the new suit -the symbol she’d denied herself for a while- she hadn’t been sure if it was still fitting to wear it. She hadn’t been sure if she still belonged. But she’d _wanted_ it. And Tim, who had every right to avoid her and the rest of the family at the moment, wanted her to take it. He wanted her to wear it. He said it didn’t matter what she called herself or where she was, she was still part of the family.

“The things I said to you, before…everything.” She trusted him to know what she was speaking of. “The things I _did_ to you. I’m sorry. I don’t think I ever said that.”

There had been so much going on while she recovered from the damage Slade and the drugs had done to her mind. So much had happened since. It seemed like she hadn’t had a chance to ever really stop and think of what she wanted to say. 

But there was _always_ so much going on with them. They couldn’t wait for the ‘right’ time to say such things anymore. Not after what happened to her. Not after what happened to Jason. Not after what happened to Bruce. They had to let each other know how they felt whenever they could. She saw that now, more clearly than ever. 

“You didn’t have to.” Her little brother spoke calmly, kindly, but she knew it wasn’t just compassion that led him to say it. She could see it. He was being honest. After losing their father, he, too, didn’t want to leave anything unsaid. “I know.”

The honest words meant the world to her. However, Cassandra didn’t bring the subject up to make herself feel better. She wasn’t simply making sure her little brother didn’t hold any kind of grudge. She’d known he wouldn’t. She knew something else as well, something they’d let slide in the wake of their reunion.

“I hurt you.”

Tim placed a hand on her shoulder. “I get it. You weren’t well. You thought you were helping. You thought by making me see how little Bruce cared, I’d be able to leave with you, and then he couldn’t hurt me anymore. It wasn’t your fault, Cass.”

“Part of it was.” Her thoughts had been twisted, but they were still hers, for the most part. She truly had been hurt to learn that David Cain had other children. She truly had thought that Bruce was little better with Tim at the time. Thinking of Bruce -her _real_ father- still hurt. She hoped he knew how much she loved him when he died.

She frowned deeper, feeling even further regret as she looked at her little brother. “And then I left you all alone when you needed someone.”

“You needed to come to terms with everything after…after what happened with Bruce. We all did. But that doesn’t mean you can’t call on me when you need me. We’re still family. Right?” Tim looked heartbroken but also hopeful.

He truly wanted his sister back. He wanted to keep what he had left of his family.

Cassandra wanted that, too.

She figured it had to be alright then.

Now, she was Black Bat. She might have strayed from Gotham, but that didn’t mean she’d strayed from her family. If one of her brothers needed her, she’d be there. She knew that Tim, at least, would be there for her. She suspected Dick would as well, providing that Gotham allowed it.

All were very good feelings. 

As expected, Tim had a plan when he asked for her assistance. Also as expected, the plan worked. The assassins were taken care of. Tim’s would-be rapist was taken care of. The weird, disassociated voice that had come up was apparently impressed by Tim and also suicidal…or it just took losing _very_ badly. Either way, it was gone and they’d come out on top again.

Catastrophe was avoided for another day, and with Tim helping her out this time, it would likely be avoided yet again. 

At least, she _hoped_ the two of them together would be enough to take on Cricket. He was difficult to beat. Not only was he fast and skilled, but he was young. It was hard not to hesitate, not to hold back more than necessary. 

But together, she and her little brother were an especially hard team to beat.

Tim’s strategic sense and his intellect were his key strengths. Casandra’s fighting prowess and ability to read movement were hers. He always planned ahead, always gathered all the pertinent information and quantified it. He knew all his options and never moved too soon. She tended to play things by ear, to read the situation as it unfolded and react as necessary. She saw her opponents move before they were usually aware they were moving. 

They’d always worked well together in the past. They always knew how to combine their skills and strengths for the best results. 

As they headed to the hotel room he was staying in, she asked Tim if he thought they would be able to beat Cricket. She figured he’d have a better idea of their odds than she did.

Tim didn’t take even a second to think about it. Clearly, he’d already done the math and come up with a plan. “Just the two of us? Possibly, but it would be close. With the three of us, however, _yes_. We’ve got this.”

She wasn’t sure who the third person he was referencing was, until she stepped into the room after him and saw one of their big brothers waiting. The one she hadn’t seen in some time. The one she’d been most worried about. The one she’d been afraid they’d lost. 

Jason was sitting at the table with his booted feet up, his helmet was sitting next to his plate, and he was eating hummus. Cassandra smiled. He returned it. “Timbers here tells me you might need a hand back on Hong Kong. So what are we up against?”

She gave Jason a hug. He stood to accept it and returned it firmly. It felt like coming home. Cassandra took a moment to enjoy that he was there. That she was with her family again. 

Then she and Tim filled him in. 

They ate. They planned. They headed for Hong Kong. 

It turned out the three of them together were enough. Cassandra had a few cracked ribs. Tim had dislocated an arm. She was pretty sure all three of them had concussions. Cricket had one too, as well as a broken clavicle and he’d taken a bullet to the knee. Still, it was taken care of. 

“So, anyone got anything else going on?” Jason looked from his little sister to his little brother.

“Yeah.” Tim answered. “I’ve got another plan in the works.” 

“When do you not?” Jason smirked. 

Cassandra did as well. 

“Its…” Tim took a breath, steeled himself. Braced for a potentially negative response. Cassandra didn’t like that. She could see Jason didn’t either. “I think I know how to get Bruce back.”

After a brief pause in which Tim assessed the fact that neither his big brother nor big sister were going to suggest he was insane or blinded to the truth by grief, he continued. “But I’m going to need help. A _lot_ of help.”

Jason responded right away. “So tell us what what you need from us.” 

Cassandra nodded her agreement. “We’re here.”

Tim handed her a mini SD card. “Can you take this to Clark? You still have your access codes from when you were part of Justice League Elite, right?” 

Cassandra nodded again. Even if she hadn’t, she and her brothers had had such codes for some time. 

Tim didn’t seem to like the idea of sneaking in though. “Good. You won’t have to explain your presence or prove your trustworthiness like me or Jay would.”

Cassandra felt angry about that. In addition to handling whatever her little brother needed her to do, she would be having a few words with Clark about how her brothers were being treated. They didn’t need to know that though. They’d only try to argue against it, especially Tim. She wouldn't be swayed, so it would only waste time and words. It would only add to their stress when their focus was needed elsewhere. 

She took the card. “Of course. What do you need me to tell him?”

“Just convince him to check out everything I’ve got on there.” Her little brother indicated the card. He looked stressed but hopeful. “I’ve got what I hope is enough proof that Bruce wasn’t killed, but thrown into the past. Plus a plan on how to get him back. It’ll take a few members of the Justice League to pull it off, and I don’t know if the proof I have will be enough for them.

“Even if it is, getting Bruce back physically isn’t the same as getting him back. His mind might need some help sorting everything out after hopping around through time.” Tim looked from his big sister to his big brother. 

“I’m going to Santa Prisca, to find Azrael. He’s gotten mixed up with a dangerous -but very technologically advanced- cult. Best case scenario, I get some information from the followers of Saint Dumas that I can use to get Bruce’s mind back once we save him, plus break through Azrael’s brainwashing to free him, and take out the cult before getting out of there. I don’t think I can do all that alone…and I can’t count on Jean Paul being any help. Can you come with me?” His expression was hopeful, but his body language was slightly wary.

Fortunately, again, Jason didn’t hesitate. “I’m in, Baby Bird.” He smirked. “I can’t wait to hear this plan.”

Tim smiled. Cassandra hadn’t seen that for a while. It made her happy. The entire conversation was making her happy. Working with her brothers again and trusting each other was wonderful. The fact that their father was alive and that they might get him back sometime soon was more than she’d ever hoped for.

“I’ve already got a plane. I’ll fill you in on the way.” Tim hesitated, and then made a slightly less confident comment. “If this works…I think we’re all going to be needed back in Gotham for a little while.”

Cassandra and Jason glanced at each other and then turned to Tim. 

Her answer was simple. “Then we’re going to Gotham.” 

She’d found what she’d needed to when she left Gotham. She knew who she was. She knew why she was fighting. She knew who her family was. 

She could defeat whatever Gotham threw at her with them. 

Jason sounded preemptively annoyed, like he knew that was going to cause a headache, but that knowledge wasn’t going to stop him. “Let’s just hope Dick and the demon spawn have held up their end.”

Cassandra shrugged. She wasn’t worried. “If they didn’t, we’ll take care of it.” 

Her brothers both nodded their agreement. 

Jason suddenly scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You just know B is going to give Dick all the credit for us coming together.”

Cassandra thought about that. It followed. She nodded again. Tim sighed and nodded as well. 

At least they had each other. It was enough. She smiled at her brothers. 

It was going to take some time, but they were going home.

She’d missed home. More than that, she’d missed _them_. Having them back was enough. Anything that came afterwards would just be a bonus.


	6. A New Dawn

Dick’s alarm told him there was activity by the sliding door that led to his main terrace. Considering that he was currently residing in the penthouse built atop Wayne Tower, he doubted it was common thieves. They wouldn't climb so high up. He’d been slowly creeping towards the terrace door when he heard someone politely tapping on the glass. He wasn’t sure what to make of it when he saw Clark standing out there at five in the morning. 

He opened the door right away and stepped aside to let the man in. “Clark, what’s going on? Is everything okay?”

He was internally pleading for no one else to be injured or lost. He couldn’t take another loss. Not yet. Not from the people who had worked with his father. Not one of the heroes he’d known since he was a small boy. Not one of the people who had helped shape him as a person and a hero. 

Clark looked relived, happy almost, but also concerned and a little regretful. “Everything’s alright, Dick. No one’s hurt. Its okay.” He placed a hand on Dick’s shoulder. “I just thought you deserved to hear the news face to face.” 

Before Dick could ask what it was he deserved to hear in person, Clark smiled and answered the unspoken query. “Tim was right. Bruce is still alive.”

Dick felt too much. Joy, hope, regret, sorrow, guilt, relief, love, fear, anger, comfort. He was overwhelmed by it all. 

He felt strong hands on his shoulders, supporting him. He forced himself to focus. His father was alive. He had to find out what was needed. How he could help. 

He managed to get his legs back under him. He braced his hands on Clark’s chest. He took a deep breath. He focused. The way his father had taught him to. 

He looked at Clark. “You’re sure?”

Clark’s expression was gentle, as was his tone. “I would never get your hopes up with something like this if I wasn’t.” He carefully loosened his hold, making sure Dick was truly solid before he released him and rubbed his arms. His expression was focused and his tone earnest. “Are you okay?”

“My dad’s alive.” Dick smiled. He didn’t care that his eyes were filling with tears. “I’m more than okay.”

They stared at each other for a long, joyous moment. Then Dick wiped the tears away. There would be time for that later. There would be time for a lot later, now that his father was coming home. 

“What can I do? Where is he? How do we get him back?”

Clark’s smile gained a spark of teasing. “Tim has a plan.”

Dick laughed. He felt happy, guilty, relieved, and overwhelmed all at once. “There’s a surprise.”

Clark nodded. He gave Dick’s arm a gentle squeeze. “Bruce is caught in some sort of time-jump trap. He’s making his way toward the present, and Tim figured out where and how we can intercept him, but there’s a catch.”

Dick sighed. He’d known it wouldn’t be easy, but hearing that his father was alive, he hadn’t considered how dangerous getting him back was going to be. Not that any danger would stop them. “When isn’t there?”

Again, Clark nodded. His expression was sympathetic. “We can’t just bring him back, or we’ll kill him and a lot of other people. Its complicated, but I promise you-” His voice was firm, unwavering. “I _will_ bring him back. In the meantime, keep the mantle alive for him. 

“He might need some help after we succeed. We don’t know what all this will have done to his frame of mind or basic cognitive process.” Clark was serious, but didn’t seem as worried as one might expect. “That’s where you come in. We can restore his life, even his mind, but only you kids can give him his heart back. Cassandra’s meeting up with some friends, and then she’s coming back to Gotham to help you get it back into top shape for Bruce’s return. 

“Jason and Tim have a road trip to finish before they can complete their job in getting Bruce back. When they’re done, they’re coming home too. Bruce is going to need all of us, but he’ll need you most of all, Dick.” Clark smiled softly at him. “You’ve always had a firmer grip on his heart then the rest of us.” 

The man looked into Dick’s eyes with compassion and concern. “Are you ready for this?”

Dick nodded. “Yes. I’ll be here for him. _We’ll_ be here.” He knew it was the truth. His siblings and he might not be on the best footing, but when it came to their father, they would band together. 

He smiled at Clark. He had no doubts that the man would bring his father back. He had no doubt that whatever Tim’s plan was, it would work. “Be careful.” 

“You too.” Clark hugged him, tight as he dared, before he left. 

Dick stood on the terrace until the sun rose, smiling. 

His siblings were coming home. His father was coming home. He was getting his family back.

It was a going to be a beautiful day.


	7. A Family Returns

It was the first time he’d been in the Batcave since they moved everything to the Bat-Bunker. It was the first time they would all be together since they lost their father. It was the first time Dick felt entirely like himself since everything fell apart. 

He entered with Alfred and Damian. He was a little surprised to find Tim, Cassandra, and Jason already waiting. He was glad to see all of them. It had been too long. 

“I’m glad you all came.”

Jason immediately rolled his eyes. “Don’t act like you invited us here. We all came on our own.” He looked toward Tim. “How much cleanup do we got left?”

Tim had already repaired and started up the new Bat-Computer, and was apparently catching up on everything that was happening in Gotham. “A lot, but not more than the six of us can handle together.”

“Who said we’re going to accept your assistance?” Damian crossed his arms and practically snarled at his other brothers. 

He glanced at their sister. “Yours is welcome, of course.” Between her skill level and her refusal to listen to any of Damian’s snide remarks, Cassandra had quickly earned their youngest brother’s respect. Dick was pretty sure Damian respected her more than anyone (save for perhaps his parents) at this point. 

Jason and Tim both arched a brow and turned to their sister, who simply shrugged and smiled at their youngest sibling’s reverence. 

Meanwhile, Dick turned to his youngest brother. “Little D, relax. With their help, we can get everything back to the way it was before everyone went nuts after they heard Batman was gone. We can have everything ready for Bruce when he comes home.” 

They’d been essentially running cleanup since that happened. It wasn’t that he and Damian weren’t good at what they were doing, it was just that the mess they’d had to start with was simply that bad, even by Gotham’s standards. And it wasn’t like the Rogues, gangs, and random criminals decided to hold off on their usual brand of insane until they had everything under control again. 

It had gotten a lot harder after Tim left, even if he’d made sure the gang wars and Arkham escapees were taken care of before leaving. He continued to offer assistance from afar, an untraceable voice feeding Dick information and plans over the computer. More than once, he’d considered heading down to Tim’s new office, when he’d heard the teenage CEO was in town. There had always been so much more to do.

Apparently, Damian didn’t realize -or just wouldn’t acknowledge- how much help they’d already received. “We could do that ourselves!”

Dick didn’t doubt that, but that didn’t mean he was gong to turn down help from his siblings when they were offering. “But we can do it a lot faster with their help.”

Jason added his thoughts to that as well. “Hey, brat, this isn’t up for debate. This is _our_ city. We don’t need your permission or acceptance to take care of it.” He tilted his head toward Tim. “Besides, since Timbers is running Wayne Enterprises now, he needs everything here in order before he _really_ gets down to business.”

Damian actually growled at the comment. 

He’d sent the board of directors a letter contesting Tim’s position in the company. He’d been denied. It turned out that Bruce had been the one to make Tim his next in line. Tim had only fine-tuned the plan to make it work instantly. The board was happy with Tim’s work. The company was doing well and they weren’t going to be bullied by a kid with a chip on his shoulder. 

Lucius had been kind but quite firm about all that.

It was still a point of contention for their youngest brother. Dick suspected that Jason knew it somehow.

He sighed. “Jay, do you _have_ to push his buttons?”

“Until he learns not to fly off the handle every time someone does, yeah.” Jason arched his brows. “Would you rather he go lose it on someone who _really_ wants to kill him?”

Dick blinked. He hadn’t considered that Jason actually thought he was helping their youngest sibling. He couldn’t honestly say that he _wasn’t_ , either.

Damian, naturally, didn’t take kindly to the suggestion that he needed such help. Or the implication that Jason had been going easy on him. “I do not ‘fly off the handle’, Todd. I don’t need you to break me of the habit. I need each of you to stop infringing on my birthright! I-”

Jason pointed to Damian, which caused the boy to stop speaking. He motioned with the finger to indicate Damian’s entire demeanor. “You realize _this_ , right here, is you flying off the handle, right? Seriously, you make it way too easy to manipulate you. There’s so little challenge, it isn’t even fun. If you didn’t need to learn so badly, I’d‘ve left already.”

“I’m the son of Batman, you cretin.” Damian sneered at the older boy. “Who are you to try teach me anything?”

Jason stepped forward enough to force the younger boy to look up to face him. His tone was cool and level as he spoke with utter confidence, but none of the ego that Damian had. “I’m the one who got killed on the job because your father forgot it was a fucking _kid_ he’d dragged into his damned crusade.” He looked over the others, slowly but with such weight that no one spoke to fill the brief silence. Then he turned back to Damian. “And I’m the only one who seems to recognize that he made the same fucking mistake all over again. 

“You can call out that you’re Batman’s only _real_ son ‘till you’re blue in the face. It won’t change the fact that you’re still just an angry child playing at being a grown-up, the same as I was when I wore the R. You’re gonna meet the same end if you don’t stop acting like a spoiled brat all the time.” His voice was firm, his stance even more so. “I’m going to do what I can to make sure that doesn’t happen. Even if you hate me for it.”

Damian clearly didn’t know how to process what those words made him feel. He struggled for a moment before falling back on the ego, anger, and violence that still came to him far too readily. “Fuck you! How dare you insult my father? How dare you compare yourself to me?!” Finally, he launched himself at Jason again. 

Before Dick could try to reach him, there was a flash of black and then Cassandra had the younger boy pinned to the ground. 

“Stop it.” She spoke to Damian before she glanced over her shoulder at Jason. “ _Both of you_.” Batman himself couldn’t have sounded more firm or frightening. 

She stood and pulled Damian up with her, still holding him in place, but not beneath her. “Our father chose each of us to help. Including you. _This_ isn’t helping anyone.” She frowned. “And it wouldn’t make him proud.”

“Miss Cassandra is absolutely correct.” Alfred gave each of them _the look_. Immediately each of the Waynes were standing straight and looking chagrined, even the ones who hadn’t really done anything wrong at the moment. “Now, if Master Jason is done antagonizing a twelve-year-old and Master Damian is done throwing a tantrum befitting a toddler, I suggest we all get to work. It _will_ take all of us to have everything prepared in time for Master Bruce’s return.”

He glanced over the Cave, which was far too clean and tidy for it have just begun reparation that day. 

Dick immediately understood that Alfred had been aware of what was coming well before he -possibly any of them- had. He’d been preparing the Manor, the Cave, and even them for it without drawing attention to it. It wasn’t a surprise that the wise man knew more than he’d let on, but Dick couldn’t help but wonder just _how_ much Alfred knew. He could see some of the others asking themselves that same question. 

“For starters, we are going to return the Cave to its former glory. We are going to clean up the city. We are going to find a way to work together.” Alfred looked over each of his adopted grandchildren sternly. “Are each of you clear on this matter?”

He gave a short nod after each of them had acquiesced. “Very good. Master Dick, Master Damian, begin retrieving your father’s trophies and suits. Master Jason, Miss Cassandra, I will show you where we have relocated your father’s weapons and cases, so you may start bringing them back. Master Timothy, do continue updating the computer and security. I shall start working on the lighting and plumbing.

“We will work as such until nightfall and then you can each take a villain or a corner of the city and began to clean it up as well.” The man began to roll up his sleeves. “Come now, we have much to get done before your father returns.”

No one dared argue with Alfred. They each got to work.

Naturally, they pulled it off.


	8. A Father Returns

Dick hadn’t been there when they brought Bruce back to the present. He heard about it from Clark. It sounded as though something had come back with Bruce, something with the power to destroy half the continent. Whatever it was, it had nearly killed Bruce, and Tim as well. 

One would never know it to see Bruce afterwards though. He’d looked the same as he had the day he’d taken on Darkseid. 

However, the way he’d hugged Dick had been telling. It spoke of how happy he was to be with his son again. It said he’d missed him while he was fighting his way back to his own time. It said he’d been worried about him all the while. It said he was proud of him. It said he loved him. 

It said everything Dick needed to hear. 

Dick returned the uncommon embrace with no hesitation or question. 

To his surprise, Bruce had told him he thought it was best if he took the cowl back and asked how he felt about giving it up before taking it. He didn’t appear surprised in the least when Dick had no problem with that. He seemed to have expected his eldest not to want it. 

Dick wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he’d been happy to return it. He was happy to return to being Nightwing. Happy to return to being the big brother. 

He didn’t return to Blüdhaven right away though. He stayed in the penthouse at Wayne Tower. Not only was he already settled there, but Tim and Bruce had both pointed out that it would look a little suspicious if he suddenly moved back into the Manor after Bruce returned home from what was supposed to be a regular trip, despite rumors that he’d been uncharacteristically absent as of late. 

He still worked with Damian. And he worked with his other siblings too, whenever they let him, which wasn’t all that often at first. Cassandra was the most open to working together after Damian, while Tim was understandably the most reluctant and distant. Still, Dick didn’t want to make the same mistakes he’d made before. He didn’t want any of them to feel like they were alone. He didn’t want them to think he wouldn’t help when they needed it. 

Jason and Tim were staying in Gotham as well. Tim had taken a leaf from their father’s book and bought himself a building. Dick wasn’t quite sure where Jason was staying at present, but he’d let everyone know he was in Gotham if he was needed. Red Hood was back to cleaning up crime, somewhat less brutally, if still violently. Red Robin and Black Bat still weren’t known to the public at all, but they were quickly becoming ghost stories that haunted the criminal element. 

Robin split his time between working with Batman and patrolling with Nightwing. Rather than completely take over his youngest son’s training, Bruce had simply taken over some and added to it. He still wanted Dick to continue working with Damian as well for as long as he was willing to. He said it was good for Damian, that he appreciated the progress he’d made while he was gone. 

To the citizens of Gotham, Batman was back. There were no longer questions of his death or rumors that someone else was behind the mask among the criminals or GCPD. He stayed in the shadows as usual, as they all did, but word spread around quickly enough. Even those who hadn’t seen him -even those who’d _never_ seen him- believed in him again. 

Most importantly, Dick had his father back. He had his family back. A little worse for wear, maybe, but willing to work out their differences. 

He was sure they’d manage. He was hopeful that they’d flourish. 

He was grateful that they had the chance to.


End file.
